We finished our Greece 1941 theme with a bang, by playing the Battle of the Corinth Canal using Flames of War V.4 rules. This battle was an airborne attack by German Fallschirmjagers (FJ) to capture the single bridge over the canal, which, if captured or destroyed, would disrupt the evacuation of Allied troops from Greece. The area around the bridge was defended by various British, Australian, and New Zealand units.
These two sources were very helpful to our design of the scenario:
This Master’s Thesis has very good details about the battle from the ANZAC point of view:
https://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/10651?show=full
This article has good details from the German perspective:
Reinforced Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 2 seizes the Isthmus of Corinth I
Terrain: The 9’X5′ table is set with the long axis running NE-to-SW. The Corinth Canal runs along the short axis of the table (NW-to-SE), and is crossed by the bridge at the center of the table. The surface of the canal lies about 200 feet below ground level, and the sheer cliffs bordering the canal are impassible. This effectively divides the battlefield into two sectors.
In the NE sector, the terrain is generally flat, except for a low hill in the middle of the sector, centered about 30″ from the bridge. This hill is covered by woods. A wooded stream runs diagonally across the eastern corner of the table. A strip of open ground and scrubland runs next to the canal, until reaching a small wood next to the SE end of the canal. The rest of the NE sector is covered by orchards, vineyards, and a few open fields. A road enters the sector near the northern corner, bends around the hill, then crosses the bridge. A second road enters near the SE end of the canal and intersects the first road at the bridge.
In the SW sector, the terrain is flat near the canal, then rises gently toward a range of low hills on the SW edge of the table. The ground next the canal is open, and the remainder of the ground is covered by orchards, vineyards, and a few open fields. After crossing the bridge, the road runs towards the SW, then bends to the NW and exits the table.
Finally, there is a large pile of TNT boxes placed on the middle of the bridge, ready for demolition.
Objectives: There are four objectives on the table. Each end of the bridge counts as one objective. Another objective is the low, wooded hill in the center of the NE sector. The fourth objective is an orchard in the center of the SW sector, marked with a large HQS command vehicle. The side controlling the majority of the objectives at game’s end would be the winner.
Forces and Deployments:
Commonwealth Forces: (All Confident Trained, and all dug in at their historical locations except where noted.)
Isthmus Force HQS: Three command teams at the SW objective.
C Squadron, NZ Cavalry: 3 X Marmon Herrington armored cars, 7 X Bren carriers (carrying 7 X MG teams) anywhere in the SW sector, more than 24″ away from the canal.
Elements of the 4th Hussars (BR): 2 X Mk.VIB tanks, and 3 X Mk.VIB tanks, anywhere on the table (their commander in the game deployed two tanks near the Force HQS in the SW sector, and three tanks with the Australian company in the NE sector)
Two platoons of 2/6 Battalion (AUS): Off-table to the SW (will enter on Turn 4 anywhere along the SW edge).
Two squads of NZ field engineers: One rifle-armed squad near each end of the canal.
Six Bofors AA Guns: Spread out along the roads, at least 12″ apart, three on each side of the canal.
B Company, 19th Infantry (NZ): Co. HQs, two platoons, and two HMGs on the wooded hill in the NE, one platoon off-table to the north (will enter on Turn 5).
Company, 2/6 Battalion (AUS): One platoon in the small woods near the canal. Co. HQs and two platoons off table to the SE (will enter via the road near the canal, starting on Turn 3, one platoon per turn).
German: (All Fearless Veteran, landing by glider and parachute, all FJ infantry and engineer platoons have 10 teams except where noted.)
FJ Assault Engineer Platoon Haffner: 12 X FJ assault engineer teams (including three flamethrower teams) landing by gliders at the bridge on Turn 1, three gliders with six engineer teams landing on each side of the canal.
KG Pietzonka: Co. HQs, 3 X FJ platoons, 1 X FJ engineer platoon (no flamethrowers), 3 X AT rifles, 3 X 5.0 cm lt. mortars (direct fire only), 2 X 7.5. cm. recoilless guns, 2 X 3.7mm antitank guns with motorcycles tows, 4 X HMGs. Landing on Turn 1 by parachute in SW sector.
KG Kroh: Co. HQs, 3 X FJ platoons, 2 X AT Rifles, 3 X 5.o cm mortars (direct fire only), 2 X 7.5 cm. recoilless guns, 4 X HMGs. Landing on Turn 1 by parachute in NE sector.
Reserves: One FJ platoon with ATR, 2 X HMGs, and 2 X 7.5 cm. recoilless guns, landing on Turn 5 by parachute anywhere on the table.
Air Support: Stuka and Messerschmitt support, available every turn on a roll of 4-6 on a D6.
Special Rules:
We used the Flames of War V.3 rules for paradrops and glider landings with the following modifications for this scenario:
- The wind was blowing diagonally across the table from the east.
- Platoons and weapons canisters landing by parachute would drift one D6 X 2″ downwind.
- Any team dropping by parachute would be eliminated on a roll of a 1 on a D10 (or a roll of 1-2 if landing in the woods).
- Any team or glider landing in the canal would be automatically eliminated.
Due to a pregame air attack, all defending teams start the game pinned down or bailed out.
Finally, unknown to the players, the bridge would explode and be destroyed on a roll of a 0 on a D10 (rolled every turn). This would represent the actual explosion of the bridge during the battle, due to a cause that was never fully determined.
Moves:
On Turn 1, the German gliders landed in the open ground near the bridge on both sides, close enough for their passengers to assault the two NZ field engineer squads next to the bridge. Three of the NZ teams and one Bofors near the NE end of the bridge were eliminated. In the SW sector, two FJ platoons and the AT guns landed near the canal while the third FL platoon, the FJ engineer platoon and the other support weapons landed along the NW edge of the table. In the NE sector, all of the FJ platoons landed along the NW edge of the table. Both of the 7.5 cm. recoilless guns in the NE sector were lost in the drop (their transport plane must have been hit by AA fire!). Otherwise, losses during the drop were insignificant. All paradropped units could not move on the turn they landed, and were only armed with pistols until they recovered their weapons canisters.
Most of the defenders spent Turn 1 unpinning. The Australian platoon in the woods next to the canal unpinned and then moved very aggressively to assault the FJ engineers that had just captured the NE end of the bridge. After two rounds of close combat, the FJ engineers were eliminated, leaving the AUS platoon in control of the objective.
Turn 2 saw most of the Germans recovering their canisters. The FJ engineer platoon on the SW end of the bridge knocked out a Bofors AA gun with a flamethrower attack. Stukas tried to bomb the Australian platoon and the three MK.VIB tanks that were with them, but the air attack had no effect. (German air power would have little effect all game, failing most of the availability rolls each turn, and not hitting much when it did appear.)
On Turn 3, the German AT guns moved to the SW end of the bridge and unlimbered, with their backs to the canal. A FJ platoon dug in next to the SW end of the bridge. In the NE sector, the FJ assaulted and eliminated the two remaining Bofors guns.
The three British Mk.VIBs near the bridge fired across the canal at the German AT guns, eliminating both of them! The elimination of the AT guns would enable the NZ Bren carriers to move close to the FJ platoon next to the bridge, but their MG fire had very little effect on the dug in Germans. Also on Turn 3, the Australian reserves started to arrive in the NE sector near the canal, moving toward the bridge.
On Turn 4, with the situation on the NE end of the bridge not going well, the half platoon of FJ engineers on the SW end of the bridge started crossing the bridge. They were then fired at by the Mk.VIB tanks, and, despite the cover provided by the bridge, the engineers were hit six times, and then failed five of their saving rolls! The one remaining team of engineers was then shot down by the Australian infantry. German morale took another turn for the worse when two Australian infantry platoons entered the SW end of the table near the western corner and headed for the nearest Germans.
(During all this activity, the NZ company holding the wooded hill in the NE remained in a tight defensive position, making itself a very tough nut to crack.)
On Turn 5, the German reserves landed in the eastern corner of the table, screened by the wooded stream. Once they collected their canisters, their target would be the wooded hill in the NE sector.
Also on Turn 5, the final ANZAC reserves arrived at the northern corner of the table. This single NZ infantry platoon moved to threaten the rear of the FJ in that area.
In the SW, the German 7.5 cm. recoilless guns were presented with a target of three Marmon Herrington armored cars parked in an open field, and they did not miss it. All three A/Cs were destroyed. The newly arrived Australians then tried to avenge the A/C’s by assaulting the Germans in that sector, but defensive fire was too strong and the assault failed to close.
The next few turns saw a lull in the action as both sides prepared for the final battles for the objectives.
In the SW, the surviving Australian infantry pulled back toward the force HQS command post, followed by the FJ engineer platoon. The NZ Bren carriers, having no effect at the bridge, also pulled back to reinforce the HQS objective. The Germans in this sector used their recoilless guns and AT rifles to knock out the two Mk.VIBs near the HQS objective, and also eliminated the remaining Bofors guns.
In the NE, the Germans used their AT rifles to bail out two of the Mk.VIBs near the bridge. The tank crews failed their rolls to remount, but the platoon passed its morale tests. One FJ platoon near the bridge was ready to assault once the tanks were eliminated. The other FJ platoons closed in on the wooded hill, which was now under Stuka attack, which pinned down the defenders. Two FJ platoons took the opportunity to assault the hill, but both were defeated by the Kiwis in close combat, losing six teams for the loss of three NZ teams (including one HMG team). Soon after, the NZ platoon that had been in reserve assaulted the rear of a weakened FJ platoon, leaving that FJ platoon down to three teams. While this was happening, two of the Australian platoons started moving through the orchards toward the wooded hill, leaving one weakened platoon and the Mk.VIBs to hold the bridge.
The endgame in the SW came when a FJ platoon tried to assault and capture the HQS objective before the Bren carriers arrived. The assault went in, but the HQS staff and the nearby Australian infantry counterattacked and won the close combat! A small assault by the FJ engineers was also defeated. Then the carriers arrived and machine gunned the FJ engineers, causing the loss of several teams. Realizing that the defenders’ position behind the objective was now too strongly held, the remaining FJ dug in near the objective in order to contest it, backed up by their HMGs, AT rifles, and recoilless guns. With the situation thus in stalemate, the fighting in the SW ended.
The NW sector was much more dynamic. A second Stuka attack on the wooded hill eliminated the NZ company HQS, which, combined with accumulating losses to the defenders, made the hill vulnerable to assault. The FJ assaulted from several directions, and wiped out the remaining defenders. At the same time, the NZ reserve platoon was also eliminated. At the bridge, the last Mk.VIB tank was destroyed by AT rifle fire. This opened the way for the FJ to assault the weakened Australian platoon, driving the one surviving Australian team away from the bridge and capturing the two bailed out tanks.
As the final turn of the game began, the Germans controlled both ends of the bridge and the wooded hill, and were contesting the HQS objective. At that point, the bridge blew up! (A 0 was finally rolled on a D10 — a stray shot during the last assault must have set off the TNT). This eliminated the two objectives at the bridge (along with one unlucky FJ team), leaving only one objective up for grabs. If the Australian infantry could contest (or possibly recapture) the hill, the Allies would salvage a draw (or maybe steal a win)!
The Germans threw the entire Luftwaffe at the advancing Australians, with both the Stukas and the Messerschmitts attacking. But, with the last move of the game, the Australians unpinned and went forward. One platoon reached the summit of the hill, backed up by the second platoon and the company HQS. Advancing fire from the Australians eliminated three German teams in the woods, making an assault to take the hill possible. With nothing to lose, the Australians gave it a shot, but German defensive fire repelled the assault, leaving the hilltop objective contested! (After the historical battle, the Germans named this hill “Blood Hill” and it certainly lived up to its name in our game.)
Thus our game ended in a hard fought draw, with both of the remaining objectives contested. This was a fitting result for a well played game in which eight players participated.
Our result was very different from the historical battle. In the actual battle, the German glider troops swiftly captured the bridge, which blew up almost immediately. The ANZAC defense was very disorganized, with some units withdrawing fairly quickly, and the remaining defenders were quickly defeated. As a result, many ANZAC troops would become POWs.
- TJ